Officials are warning of a potential measles exposure at Philadelphia International Airport over the weekend, but don’t believe there’s a threat to the general public, the city’s health commissioner announced Tuesday.
The possible measles exposure happened between 8:50 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9, at PHL in the airport’s A and B terminals.
The city’s health department said a patient with measles was traveling through the airport. Health officials are recommending anyone who was traveling or working in the airport Sunday to check their vaccination status and keep an eye out for symptoms.
“We believe there is no threat to the general public associated with this case of measles,” Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson said in a news release. “We encourage people who were possibly exposed to take action if they are not protected against measles. Many countries, including travel destinations, are experiencing measles outbreaks, so the potential for travel-related measles cases and subsequent outbreaks in the United States has increased.”
Measles, a highly contagious virus, spreads in the air when infected people talk, cough or sneeze.
The Philadelphia health commissioner said unvaccinated people can get the virus “up to two hours after someone else with measles left the same room or airspace.”
Measles symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough and puffy eyes, followed by a red skin rash that begins on the face and neck.
People who are infected with measles usually begin experiencing symptoms within 10 to 14 days of exposure.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health also recommends anyone who isn’t vaccinated against measles get the MMR vaccine. One dose of the vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and the recommended two doses are 97% effective, research shows.
